Submission #356 by Beth Emeth-Bais Yehuda Men's Club - Downsview, ON (404)

I have read the General Guidelines, "Nuts and Bolts" and Program Advanced Planning (Excel Spreadsheet) Documents
Club Name
Beth Emeth-Bais Yehuda Men's Club - Downsview, ON (404)
Sunnybrook Hospital Shabbat Services
Club Representative
Person completing form
Stan
Greenspan
Club President at time of Convention
Bruce
Martin
Club President Now
Bruce
Martin
FJMC - other

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Toronto Brotherhood's providing shabbat services to Jewish veterans and patients at the largest hospital in the country.
In 1988, the Brotherhood of Beth Emeth began to provide Jewish programming at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in Toronto. The hospital is the largest in Canada with and has been the countries largest veteran's hospital since WW2. Canada's Jewish population enrolled in the armed forces en mass, with over 10% of all men joining the Army, Navy or Airforce. After the end of the war, Sunnybrook was the location of all disabled Jewish veterans from the country. In the 1990's the Beth Emeth men's club became heavily involved in the chaplaincy at the hospital, eventually leading to the fundraising and the building of a synagogue on the hospital grounds.
Once the chapel was completed, all of the FJMC clubs in Toronto began participating in providing monthly shabbat services for those who through happenstance found themselves in the hospital. The service includes bringing mobile patients from their rooms and an abridged torah reading. A small non-alcoholic kiddish is served after the service and all of the patients are returned to their rooms.

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Self Assessment
This is not a new programme, it is celebrating it's 25th year of men's club involvement.
This event has brought the clubs of the city of Toronto to an important chesed event each month.
Original Program
Previous Submission
Yes